Planter with direct hydraulic seed drive

ABSTRACT

The invention provides an innovative yet straightforward approach to driving the seed distribution system in planters which feature hinged winged extensions. The flexibility of the hinged winged extensions may allow the planter to adjust to the contours of a field and to fold to facilitate transport of the planter. In one embodiment, for example, the invention may provide a mechanical coupling between several sections of a seed drive shaft which may support and be driven by a hydraulic motor for each of the winged sections. The seed drive system may also be coupled to row units to synchronize and power the distribution of seeds by the planter.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This Patent Application is a Divisional of co-pending U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/048,824, filed on Mar. 14, 2008 entitled,“Planter With Direct Hydraulic Seed Drive” and having Richard J. Jaimeet al. as the Applicant.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates generally to agricultural implements, andmore particularly to a planter or similar implement designed to be towedbehind a work vehicle, and that is equipped with a seed distributionsystem.

A wide range of agricultural implements are known and are presently inuse, particularly designed for towing behind a work vehicle, such as atractor. In one family of such implements, including tillers, planters,and so forth, a wide swath of ground can be tilled, planted, orotherwise worked in each pass of the implement in a tilled or untilledfield. Planters, for example, often include frames supported by seriesof wheels and a tool bar extending transversely with respect to a lineof movement of the implement across the field. Seed tanks are typicallysupported on the implement support structure, such as just forward of orover the tool bar. Large amounts of seed may be poured into these tanksand, as the implement is advanced across the field, seeds aretransferred from the tanks by the distribution system connected to therow units. Attached to the tool bar are a series of row units fordispensing seeds in parallel rows either in tilled or untilled soil. Rowunits may contain various mechanical components to facilitate seeddistribution such as a seed wheel and other mechanisms. These mechanismshelp regulate seed population and set seed spacing in the soil.

Seed distribution mechanisms are typically driven via sprockets andchains using a ground-contacting drive wheel or a hydraulic motor astheir prime movers. Sprocket and chain mechanisms require tediousadjustments and maintenance by the operator, including frequentlubrication. The operator may be required to manually adjust and movethe chain between differently sized drive sprockets in order to achievea desired geometry, resulting in proper seed distribution. A loose chainwill result in inefficient drive motion transfer from the wheel or motorto the driveshaft. Moreover, efficiency of the mechanism may be reducedby debris that may interfere with the chain-sprocket connection. Whilethis, in certain situations, may not pose particular problems, itrequires additional maintenance and adjustment, such as regulartightening of the chain-sprocket mechanisms.

There is a need, therefore, for improved seed drive mechanisms inplanters that are more efficient and require less maintenance. There isa particular need for seed drive mechanisms that reduce or eliminate theuse of chains and sprockets.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

The invention provides an innovative yet straightforward approach todriving the seed distribution system in agricultural implements. Theinvention may be used in a wide range of settings, but is particularlywell-suited to implements such as seeders, planters, plows, and so forthin which flexible winged extensions can be raised and lowered byautomatic mechanisms for transport. In addition, the flexibility of thehinged winged extensions may allow the planter to adjust to the contoursof a field. In one embodiment, for example, the invention may provide amechanical coupling between several sections of a seed drive shaft whichmay support and be driven by a hydraulic motor for each of the wingedsections. The seed drive system may also be coupled to row units tosynchronize and power the distribution of seeds by the planter. Thecoupling of the drive shaft sections enable the seed drive system tooperate as the winged extensions are drawn over changing elevations.Further, the flexible nature of the drive mechanism coupling allows thewings to fold for transport without adjustment to the mechanism orshafts.

DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the presentinvention will become better understood when the following detaileddescription is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in whichlike characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a rear perspective view of a planter in accordance withaspects of the invention, including a seed drive system, frame, tow bar,and tool bar.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the central portion of the planter's tool barwing, showing several components of the seed drive system as well asportions of the row units.

FIG. 3 is a more detailed view of the arrangement in FIG. 2, includingthe pieces of the driveshaft, the secondary parallel driveshaft, and thedrive mechanism connecting them.

FIG. 4 is an isolated view of the seed drive system.

FIG. 5 shows a side cut-away view of the motor, tool bar, andanti-rotation member.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Turning now to the drawings, and referring first to FIG. 1, a planter 10is shown, having a seed drive system 12. The planter is designed to betowed behind a work vehicle, such as tractor (not shown). As will beappreciated by those skilled in the art, the seed drive system iscoupled to a power supply and a control system, represented as a blockdiagram for the sake of simplicity. The power supply and control systemare used to regulate the seed drive system to attain desired seedspacing as well as to account for overall speed of the implement. Thepower supply will generally include a hydraulic power supply (notseparately shown) that provides a flow of pressurized hydraulic fluidfor driving parts of the seed drive system, as described below. Thehydraulic power supply itself may be driven by a motor (not shown) or bythe tractor itself (e.g., by a power takeoff shaft), or may be part ofthe tractor hydraulic system.

The planter 10 consists of a frame, designated generally by referencenumeral 14, which may be made of any suitable material, such asstructural steel. The frame 14 further includes a tool bar 16 securedgenerally transverse to a tow bar 18. The tow bar 18 of the frame 14forms a fore-end-aft longitudinal beam designed to be connected to thetowing work vehicle. In the present embodiment, the tool bar 16 includesa center section 20 which is coupled to the tow bar 14 and supportscentral components of the planter such as seed tanks. Planter 10 isgenerally symmetrical about centerline 22, with wings on each side ofthe tow bar. Centerline 22 generally runs in the same direction as theimplement in towed, above the tow bar 18. The wings may be foldedforward, generally depicted by arrows 24, during road transport of theplanter, thereby reducing the width of the implement.

As shown in somewhat greater detail in FIG. 2, the view of a centralportion of the planter shows the seed drive system components of thepresent embodiment, including hydraulic motor 26 connected to a coupling28. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, hoppers andother components of the row units are removed to enhance clarity. Thecoupling 28 is attached to jackshaft 30, shown here as a shaft with ahexagon cross-section. In the present embodiment, other components ofthe mechanism include inner hex shaft 32, which is flexibly coupled toouter hex shaft 34 by universal joint 36. The drive shafts may be madeof any suitable material, such as rolled steel. As those skilled in theart will appreciate, the geometric shape of the drive shafts may bevaried to meet particular application and manufacturing requirements.The universal joint 36 is connected alongside tool bar pivot 38, both ofwhich allow the outer portions of tool bar 16 to change in elevation asthe row units and wheeled supports 40 travel along the contours of thesoil. The hydraulic power supply is connected to hydraulic flow controlvalve 42, which regulates the speed of hydraulic motor 26, therebycontrolling seed distribution.

FIG. 3 shows a detailed view of the direct seed drive system. Componentsof the drive shafts are mounted and aligned using bearings, designatedgenerally by reference numeral 44. Bracket 46 may couple bearings 44 tothe center section of the toolbar. In the embodiment, the motor 26 maybe mechanically supported by bearings 44, coupling 28 and jackshaft 30.The jackshaft is connected via chain and sprocket 48 to a secondaryparallel shaft 50. Central row units 52 and their seed systems aredriven by parallel shaft 50. In this embodiment, the central row units52 are set back on the rear portion of the frame to allow folding of thetool bar wings and to allow space for other components such as seedtanks and the seed distribution system. As will be appreciated by thoseskilled in the art, the row units may serve various functions, dependingupon the design, the nature of the field to be planted (e.g., tilled orunfilled), the particular seeds to be planted, and so forth.

Structures of each row unit may typically include an opener disc, ametering system, a covering disc, a firming wheel, and so forth. For thesake of clarity, many components of the row units are not pictured.Accommodations may be made for fertilizers, dispensing of fertilizers,chemical distribution, and the like. The row units are spaced apart andstaggered along the frame and tool bar to provide the desired spacing ofrows of crops after seeding. The figure also shows a paddle coupling 54,which allows the seed drive system to connect to the wing row units,continuing in a direction designated generally by arrow 56. Moreover,the flexibility in the seed drive system 12 provided by the paddlecoupling 54 allows the wings that comprise each side of tool bar 16 tofold for transport without any adjustment to the drive mechanism. Thatis, the paddles 54 and the drive mechanism do not require any alterationwhen the planter's wings are folded to a transport position. This is dueto the fact that the paddles 54 allow for complete separation of thedrive mechanism when the wings are folded. The folding of the wings fortransport and the wing movement due to changes in elevation may bedescribed as flexing movement.

An isolated view of the seed drive system 12 is illustrated by FIG. 4.Hydraulic motor 26, coupling 28, and hex shaft 32 are shown. Bearings 44provide mounting locations and alignment for components of the seeddrive system. In the present embodiment, the hydraulic motor 26 issuspended by the coupling 28 and is prevented from rotation about thedrive shaft axis by anti-rotation member 58. This anti-rotation featureis shown in more detail in FIG. 5, which is a view along the axis ofjackshaft 30.

As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, a seed drive system12 may be displaced on each of the two wings that comprise the tool bar16. That is, two seed drive systems 12 are typically placed on aplanter, one on each wing of tool bar 12, located on either side of towbar 18. Further, the components of the drive mechanism are variable,depending upon many factors, including planter configuration and size.

While only certain features of the invention have been illustrated anddescribed herein, many modifications and changes will occur to thoseskilled in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appendedclaims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fallwithin the true spirit of the invention.

1. A planter comprising: a frame supporting a tool bar and configured tobe towed across a field to be planted, the tool bar extending onopposite sides of a transverse centerline; a plurality of row unitssupported by the tool bar on both sides of the transverse centerline,each row unit being configured to dispense seeds at a desired spacing; apair of drive shaft assemblies mechanically coupled to the row units onrespective sides of the transverse centerline and configured to drivethe associated row units to synchronize dispensing of the seeds, eachdrive shaft assembly including a first drive shaft section generallyconcentric with the respective hydraulic motor and a secondary driveshaft section generally parallel to the first drive shaft section anddriven by the first drive shaft section, the first drive shaft sectionof each assembly being configured to drive row units on a pivotal wingof the planter and the secondary drive shaft section is configured todrive row units of a central section of the planter; and a pair ofhydraulic motors each coupled directly to a respective drive shaftassembly for driving the associated drive shaft assembly in rotationduring operation of the planter.
 2. The planter of claim 1, wherein eachhydraulic motor is mechanically supported as an overhung load on therespective drive shaft assembly.
 3. The planter of claim 1, wherein asection of each drive shaft assembly on which the motor is mechanicallysupported is mechanically supported by a set of bearings fixed to anextension of the tool bar.